How to sell at a car boot sale with a small child

We’ve finally exchanged contracts and are moving this weekend. I know, it’s kind of a big deal and I’ve not really been around to say it. Talitha’s been ill, I’ve been ill twice and moving is crazy busy this time around.

That’s because this is our first bought home and we want to do things differently. We’re both viewing it as a fresh start – a chance to live the way we always hoped we would, ie without daily disaster.

So we laid down the rule, we’re taking no rubbish with us. None. Part of that involves me organising ALL our paperwork. I turned an office avalanche into a filing cabinet and discovered I was holding on to a council tax bill from back when I was a student in Brighton seven years ago! Heck, I found useless stuff from back when I lived in Trinidad.

But the biggest step we’ve taken to organise is to sell at a car boot sale. I won’t get into all the finer tips and hints of that here though we have gleaned some valuable knowledge. I’m saving that for a new blog Laurence and I are setting up together, dedicated to all things house. I’ll tell you more about that space soon.

Instead I want to talk about the insane decision we made to take 23-month-old Talitha with us.

The night before, I panicked about taking her but decided to hold my nerve and commit to the decision we’d made.

Take lots of water

I’d packed her bag full of food but totally forgot water. Then it turned out we’d chosen to car boot on the hottest day of the year. So we spent some of our earnings (too much in my view) on just buying water.

Prepare for the weather

Being outdoors the whole time, I knew it could go either way. So I brought both her Muddy Puddles suit as well as her sunscreen and hat. The sunscreen ended up being a Godsend as it was a blazing day. She was ok having been slathered. I was stupid enough not just to get burnt but to end up with mild sunstroke.

Take a seat

We took a pushchair to sell but Talitha decided it was her seat. She spent most of the first hour or so just lounging in it, chilling out and watching people pass by. I could hardly believe it. Dead easy.

Take a sling

When we walked around to look at the other stalls in a bid to entertain her, she would start off walking then insist on being carried. Out came my wrap conversion ring sling. No action shot, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.

Buy a few bits & be nice to your neighbour

We just about broke even on the day because footfall wasn’t great and because we found some stuff we genuinely needed like kitchen stools and a helmet for Talitha. That was fine by us as we primarily wanted to ditch our junk and what we didn’t sell went either to the charity shop or the tip later. I did buy her a few little animal figurines and a copy of The Gruffalo’s Child from the stall next door because they let Talitha play with their stuff. Their teen entertained her for the last hour.

Be prepared for accidents

This is just life with a toddler stuff, not even car boot specific. Talitha fell backwards over the trailer attachment when we were packing up. She needed a breastfeed to calm down. Poor thing.

All in all, it was such a fun family experience and we totally would do it again. I’m hoping we will stay junk free for a while though!

Circus Queen tells my story as mother, migrant and writer. It’s also the space where I explore issues I’m particularly interested in. At the moment, there’s a lot of talk about breastfeeding and gentle parenting.

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2 Comments

When my husband and I moved into our first house together I found a yellow pages from Cambridge. He’d moved from there, to Holland, to France and then to 3 different houses in Bristol with it!Knitty Mummy recently posted..The One Where I Recreate an Old Advert #cbias

I’m having a big clear out at the moment, I can’t believe how easy it is to gather up clutter. I feel lighter when it goes though, it’s amazing. I even got Dad2BabyInsomniac to chuck out a load of clothes he doesn’t wear and he is a right hoarder! Good luck with the move! xMum2BabyInsomniac recently posted..Pin It Forward UK – Why I Love Pinterest

About Circus Queen

Hello! I'm Adele and I blog regularly about gentle parenting, spirituality, style, feminism, learning at home, books and anything else that feels like it fits. Circus Queen has been, since 2010, my space to think out loud, raise awareness and, hopefully, entertain. I'm a Trinidadian living in Bristol, UK, with my British husband, our two little daughters, and our two rather silly cats.